Rail-clamp.



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THOMAS MANEY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

RAIL-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 16, 1914.

Application filed August 1912. Serial No. 714,360.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS MANEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of J efierson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvementin rail clamps or cleats, and the object is to provide means for connecting guard-rails and the like to the main rails of railroads or traction lines for the purpose of fastening the guard-rail to the main rail, whereby the pressure of the wheel flange against the main rail will be lessened. On sharp curves it is the practice to lay parallel to and between the two main or running rails and close to the inside rail of the curve, a third rail or guard-rail to relieve the wheel flange pressure against the outer main rail and to serve as a safeguard against the tendency of the wheels to mount or leave the running rails. To maintain the proper relative position of the guard-rail and to resist the heavy thrust of the wheel flange upon its head, it is commonly secured by means of plates with two shoulders and is spiked to the ties through the plates. This method of fastening is not entirely satisfactory as the wheel flanges deliver a heavy lateral thrust at one side of the head of the guard-rail. This force is resisted at the outermost edge of the base flange of the guard-rail, and the force or pressure exerted against the guard-rail tends to overturn the guard-rail along the outer edge and causes the inner edge or edge of the base flange adjacent to the main rail to lift, and as the guardrail carries no load the tendency of the guard-rail to turn is unrestricted eXcept by the weight of the guardrail itself. Spikes do not afford suflicient power to resist the upward movement, and it is the object of this invention to overcome this difficulty.

This invention consists of a cleat or clamp having two parallel slots, one formed in each side of the member in which one edge of the base flange of the main rail and one edge of the base flange of the guard-rail are received, whereby the two rails are united, and any tendency of the guard-rail to be turned would be resisted by the main-rail; and as the main-rail is carrying the load, the guard-rail would be prevented from turning or from becoming disengaged from the ties.

The invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the. accompanying drawings :Figure l is an end view of the device showing it apslots conform to the shape of the rail base flanges, the upper surfaces of the rail base flanges tending to taper from the webbing toward the ends or edges of the base flanges. The rail clamp A is located between the ties 2, and between the rails B and C. A flange of the main-rail C is received in one of the slots 1 of the clamp or cleat A, and a flange of the guard-rail B is received in the other slot 1 of the cleat or clamp, whereby the two are locked together.

This rail-clamp or cleat is not a plate or any part of a plate, or necessarily to be used in connection with plates which are used in fastening rails to ties; for that matter the rails could be fastened directly to the ties without the use of plates and yet the cleats or clamps could be used. "While it can be used for many purposes, its principal use is in connection with guard-rails.

It will be seen from the foregoing that this cleat 0r clamp unites the rails and causes them to act in unison, each supported by the other. It is a simple article which can be applied to the base flanges between two rails, and which will secure the guardrail in a positive position with reference to the main rail. The strain is in effect a lateral thrust tending to cause the guard-rail to turn or move from its base. The guard-rail not carrying any load is unable to resist the lateral thrust of the flanges of the wheels, but by connecting the adjacent base flanges of the main rail and guard-rail together, the main-rail which is carrying the heavier load will have a tendency to resist the strain which is being imparted to the guard rail, and prevent the guard rail from moving from its position.

Having fuily described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a main and a guard rail mounted on ties, of a cleat interposed between the rails and located between the ties, and having engagement with the rails for affording a resistance by the main rail to the movement of the guard rail.

2. The combination with a main and a guard rail mounted on ties, of a cleat interposed between the rails and located between the ties, said cleat provided with two grooves, one located on each side thereof, an edge of the base flange of the main rail and an edge of the base flange of the guard rail each entering a groove of the cleat for the purpose of uniting the rails together, whereby the main rail will exert a resistance to the movement of the guard rail.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature,

' in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS MANEY.

Vitnesses:

V. F. KIMBEL, CI-IAs. SPEED.

Copies of this patent fiiay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

